UNDP India: India’s BRICS presidency can shift South‑South cooperation from representation to tangible results

# India's BRICS presidency

# How India's approach to cooperation has changed

Lusigi said India's model has shifted beyond development assistance and concessional finance to include technology transfer, capacity building and knowledge exchange. She pointed to long‑running and concrete Indian initiatives that other developing countries can adapt to their contexts.

• ITEC (International Technical and Economic Cooperation): India's training programme that has trained more than 400,000 professionals since 1964, used as a vehicle to share skills and institutional practices.

• Agricultural insurance programmes: More than 10 countries are part of a community of practice studying India's large‑scale models and the required institutional mechanisms.

# Financing and multilateral support

Lusigi summarized India's recent financing footprint: over USD 14.7 billion in grants and USD 32 billion in concessional lines of credit supporting more than 600 development projects. She noted additional commitments through multilateral partnership funds, such as the India‑UN Development Partnership Fund and the IBSA Fund, which together have earmarked more than USD 150 million for areas including digital infrastructure, renewable energy and healthcare.

Her message: partner countries need more than capital. They need institutions, skills and workable models that are sustainable over time.

# UNDP's role

UNDP positions itself as a connector between India's financial commitments, technical expertise and the needs and implementation capacities of partner countries. Lusigi described the organisation as a bridge builder that can help adapt Indian solutions to national priorities in other developing countries rather than imposing one‑size‑fits‑all models.

# What India can bring to BRICS discussions

Through its presidency, India can promote pathways that link knowledge, capabilities and expertise across the Global South. Lusigi specifically mentioned governance of technology and ensuring a stronger voice for the Global South in tech and AI governance as agenda areas where BRICS can deliver results.

# Practical takeaway

India's BRICS chairship is presented not as a rhetorical moment but as a platform to scale replicable, operational solutions across developing countries—combining finance, training and technology transfer with UNDP facilitation to support adaptation and implementation.